15. Waste

Question 1

What is an animal unit? (2)

Answer 1

1. Number of animals of a particular species
   which produce 73 kilograms of nitrogen in 12
   months
2. The animal unit is the means by which we can classify farm size and thus manure production without having to always adjust for type of animal

Question 2

400 animal units in sows, dairy cows, beef cattle, laying hens

Answer 2

1. 320 sows (farrow to finish)
2. 200 dairy cows
3. 332 beef cattle
4. 40,000 laying hen

Question 3

What is the legislation for animal waste? (2)

Answer 3

1. The legislation governing manure storage,
   handling and use differs depending on the number of animal units.
2. 300AU is used as the starting point for many of
   the more stringent regulations in MB

Question 4

What is a land use calculator (1)

Answer 4

1. Used to estimate the land requirements for livestock operations. Developed by Manitoba Agriculture.

Question 5

What is the farm-specific data entry for land use calculator? (6)

Answer 5

1. Total number of livestock and poultry (places) for each type of livestock associated with the operation
2. Type of manure storage structure
3. Weight gain for growing animals, where appropriate
4. Number of days the livestock place is occupied, where appropriate
5. Realistic historical crop yields for each crop that will receive manure over the course of a rotation
6. Acreages associated with each crop type over the course of a rotation

Question 6

The amount of manure produced is influenced by (2)

Answer 6

1. Feed
2. Type of animal

Question 7

How do farm practice guidelines on manure production by animal differ among species - Grower hog, gestating sow, sow and litter, cow with bedding

Answer 7

1. Grower hog 41 kg : 5.1 L per day
2. 181 kg gestating sow : 9.1 L per day
3. 181 kg sow and litter : 15.8 L per day
4. cow (with bedding) : 34 L per day

Question 8

What does manure storage depend on? Who do you need a permit from? (2)

Answer 8

1. Storage depends on type of manure (i.e. solid, semi-solid or liquid)
2. Under the Livestock Manure and Mortalities Management Regulation the construction, modification or expansion of any manure storage structure, regardless of size, requires a permit from MB Conservation

Question 9

What is considered solid manure? Where is it stored? (7)

Answer 9

20% SOLID MATTER

1. Does not flow when piled (or slump/liquify when rained
   on/snowmelt.
2. Stored in a manner that controls seepage and potential
   runoff
3. Stored in piles that may be located in the farm yard
4. Directly in the fields where spreading is intended
5. ≥ 100 m away from any surface watercourse, sinkhole,
   spring or well
6. Stored in a manner that does not cause pollution of
   surface water, groundwater or soil

Question 10

What is considered semi-solid manure? Where is it stored? (5)

Answer 10

5-20% SOLIDS

1. Seen in dairy where bedding is added but not enough quantity to absorb all the liquids
2. Cannot be piled or pumped but can be transferred by conveyors, augers.

Storage types for semi solid manure include:
1. Earthen structures
2. Non earthen storage structure

Question 11

What is considered liquid manure? Where is it stored? (4)

Answer 11

<5% SOLIDS

1. Liquid manure storage structures are used by most pork producers and some dairy and egg-laying operations.
2. They can be in ground (earthen or concrete tanks) or above ground (concrete or steel tanks) structures.
3. Earthern are the most common in Manitoba.

Question 12

Earthern vs non-earthern manure storage structures (2)

Answer 12

Earthern: must hold at least 400 days and not more than 750 days worth
Non-earthern: Hold at least 250 days worth and no
more than 750 days worth

Question 13

What are some specific construction standards for structures (4)

Answer 13

1. Designed and constructed under the supervision of a professional engineer.
2. Manitoba Conservation inspects at critical times during construction (and annually thereafter).
3. i.e. setbacks from surface watercourses, wells or springs
4. Barriers (berms, dikes) to contain manure in a specific location (no liquid runs into or away from solid or semi-solid piles.)

Question 14

What is the nutrient content of manure? List 4 examples?

Answer 14

1. Contains the nutrients that were not absorbed
   along the digestive tract of the animal and those
   that were excreted via the urine
   - Nitrogen
   - Phosphorous
   - Potassium
   - Other macro and micronutrients

Question 15

What are the forms of manure nitrogen (3)

Answer 15

1. Nitrogen in manure is primarily organic N (slow release) with some inorganic (fast release) nitrate-N.
2. Plants take up nutrients in inorganic forms.
3. Organic material needs to decompose to allow for mineralization of nutrients to inorganic forms (nitrate; NO3-, and ammonium;NH4+) that are then available to plants.

Question 16

When can organic nitrogen be available to crops? (4)

Answer 16

25% in year applied
12% in next year
6% in two year
3% in three years after application

Question 17

Explain the 5 factors that affect nitrogen concentration in manure

Answer 17

1. Feed given to the animals: Poorly digested proteins or proteins with a poor amino acid balance will increase the N content of the manure as will the overfeeding of protein
2. Storage type: N volatilization can result in significant losses of N when storage allows contact with air
3. Application type: Any application technique that increases contact with air during (spraying) or after application (not incorporating the manure) will cause N loss due to volatilization
4. Weather: More volatilization occurs during warm, dry conditions.
5. Treatment
   - Anaerobic or aerobic digestion
   - Mechanical or chemical solid/liquid separation
   - Composting

Question 18

Forms of manure phosphorous is highly variable dependent on (4)

Answer 18

1. Amount and forms fed
2. Most plant material has phosphorous in the form of phytate that cannot be digested – therefore routinely add phosphorous to livestock diets.
3. Addition of enzymes like phytase can increase the digestibility and reduce phosphorus secretions in feces.
4. P is primarily in the solid portion of the manure and
   therefore is highest with increasing solids

Question 19

Explain potassium (4)

Answer 19

1. Broad range
2. Manitoba has naturally high levels of potassium in soils
3. Can be a concern when applying manure to forage
   crops to be utilized by dairy cattle
4. Inorganic – no transformation required.

Question 20

Regulation on manure application (4)

Answer 20

1. All manure applied to land must be applied as fertilizer for crop production:
2. Amount based on Nitrogen requirements of crops
3. Phosphorous may be used in cases where P tests high
4. Annual Manure Management Plans must be filed with Manitoba Environment for farms with more than 300 AU